Niagara Et al.

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We went to Niagara as sort of an end-of-summer hurrah. We stopped in Bradford, PA the first night since it was just a travel day. The next day we took the scenic route past Chautauqua Lake and Lake Erie. There are so many vineyards which I definitely wasn't expecting that far north. There are a bunch of cute towns near the lake which are fun to drive through. We stopped at Dunkirk Lighthouse in New York which is on the edge of Lake Erie. It's a really short lighthouse compared to usual, which was amazing! Farther up the lake we stopped at a little place and had lunch on the pier.

Near the end of the second day we made it to Niagara. We checked into our hotel first, and then went to the visitor’s center to get the lay of the land. We ended up buying the Niagara Falls Pass Plus which makes everything much easier. It gives one time access to the different attractions listed on the page I linked. This means it isn't so much a question of what to do, just when since that has to be predetermined. It also includes access to the funicular which took you up the long hill toward town. WEGO bus access is included and very needed as well. After buying our passes we went to the overlook to actually see the falls. It was packed. When I say packed, I'm not sure how to convey it accurately enough. Apparently it was Civic Holiday in Canada and everyone decided it was the perfect time to visit. After wading though the crowd and getting the initial pictures we went and toured the power station. After that we did the Niagara Takes Flight ride. It's a ride that simulated flying over the falls and the surrounding area. It was really fun to watch the reactions of the other people on the ride. We then went to supper, freshened up at the hotel, and watched the fireworks at the falls.

The next morning we started out with Journey Behind the Falls which I think was one of my favorite things. It is cool to be able to walk behind the falls and see it falling in front of you, but I think it was even cooler to see it from the side. It helped me to grasp the scale better. I was imagining being able to see through the falls from the back, but that just isn't possible with the amount of water. Don't know what I was expecting.

We did the boat ride into the mist which was wild. They pack so many people on the boat and take you so close it feels surreal. Even with a poncho, the front of my shirt was soaked afterward. The amount of mist generated by the falls is unbelievable. I don't really have any great pictures from that, but here is a still from a video I have. I'm not sure if sunglasses would've been helpful or not. I didn't have them and had to squint or wipe my face off multiple times from the mist. Mom had sunglasses but water stuck to those as well. I guess pick your poison?

We had lunch at Wendy's and went to see a film about the history of the falls and some of the things people did, such as going over in a barrel or walking over it with a tightrope. It was a welcome break from all the walking we did. I work an office job so I usually don't walk much, and we were doubling and almost tripling the amount I usually walk so it was a bit much. We then rode the whirlpool aero car. The river makes a sharp turn after the falls and creates a whirlpool. The car goes over it and you can see both the whirlpool and up the gorge a bit. We then did the white water walk. Although we were quite tired of walking by that point, it was still really cool. It was the closest we got to the water and helped drive home the amount of water and power from the falls. By that time it was supper and we were tired. We did supper and tried some poutine. We then made our way back to the hotel and I slept while the some of the others went to see the fireworks the second time.

Day three was our last day at Niagara. We ate breakfast at IHOP in the Tower Hotel which was definitely a cool experience. I've never had my pancakes on the twenty-sixth story before, much less with that kind of a view. We went and said goodbye to the falls and then packed up. We wanted to see a few more things in Canada before we left, so we headed toward Niagara-on-the-Lake. We touched Lake Ontario, went to Neob Lavender farm (not worth it IMO), and a chocolate factory. Mom had really wanted to see the floral clock, so we went and saw that as well. While not overly impressive, it has been going on since the '50s (if I remember correctly) so it was interesting nonetheless. We headed across the border and toward Watkins Glen in New York. In an effort to take the scenic route, we went to the top of Seneca Lake to a town called Geneva and then headed down the side. We ate and then found a hotel, thus ending the day.

In the morning we went to Watkins Glen. It's basically a gorge worn down by water with a bunch of waterfalls and cool rocks. It definitely wasn't as impressive as Niagara, but was still really pretty. I think I would have enjoyed it more if we hadn't done so much walking the days before it since this had sooo many steps.

We had lunch and started toward Corning, New York, where we went to the Corning Museum of Glass. It was much more impressive that I was expecting! There are many galleries of both art and historical glass. There are exhibits on different properties and uses of glass as well as many different glass working demonstrations. All of it is incredibly well done and very interesting. We left there for our hotel and supper. After that it was just traveling the rest of the way home.

One of my favorite images.